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Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Coffee Talk: Fired for Blogging?

Have you heard about the TV reporter who was fired over a blog post?  Shea Allen wrote a post titled No Apologies: Confessions of a Red Headed Reporter where she candidly admits to doing several things on the job that her bosses did not appreciate.  The post is pretty funny and I can appreciate it because I love brutal honesty. 

This made me think about how we all use blogging and social media.  My favorite blogs and twitter feeds are the ones that are brutally honest.  People can relate to honesty.  My least favorite aspect of social media is when people try to pretend that life is roses 100% of the time.  I know tons of people (myself included sometimes) who feel like crap about their lives after perusing Facebook and seeing how fabulous everyone elses's life is...at least that is the way it feels sometimes. 

I commend Shea for being so honest with her post, but at the same time you have to accept the consequences of doing so sometimes. 

I try to be as honest as I can about what I write about, but there are certain topics that I just can't touch.  If I have to question whether or not I should post something, I usually don't.  You must tread lightly with certain topics: those being work and family.

Sometimes I wish I was anonymous so I could post the funny story about the in-laws or the craziness at work, but then I censor myself because I need to keep my job and I need to stay married....ha!

Just curious what your thoughts are:

Are certain topics off limits on your blog or social sites? 
Has there been a time when you posted something online that you later regretted? 

4 comments:

  1. There isn't anything that I've regretted, per se...but I know that I post things about my life or my thoughts that other people would find too personal. I try not to post too much negativity about my marriage or Natalie because I feel like my blog is about me and my thoughts on life and it's not fair to drag them through the mud. People that know my husband read my blog and someday Natalie will learn how to read - I choose my words carefully with them. If I'm going to discuss a frustrating episode I always try to bring it back to the resolution and the underlying love I have for both of them. If that makes any sense.

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  2. For years I have mentally written an essay titled "Facebook makes me feel bad about myself." I understand and have experienced the "good" of social media - reconnecting with lost friends, etc. But overall, in my case, it's better if I stay away from it. I would close my account, but am afraid of missing out on something. Ah, the dilemma...

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  3. If I ever think something is controversial, I try to stay away from it. Not because I'm embarrassed of my opinion, but I just don't want to invite a crazy, unproductive debate onto my blog. For example, the post I have up now about formula feeding is one I could've written two years and 5 months ago, I was just a little hesitant to post about such a hot topic.

    I posted for the first time last summer that I worked for Southwest. I thought long and hard about that one and even consulted the Company's Social Media Group to ask if they had guidelines on that sort of thing. I knew that I would not even consider posting something negative about SWA there because that would be an improper forum, but I also didn't want to put myself in a bad position. They actually encouraged it!

    I saw the news story on that blogger, and while I do like honesty on a blog, I would never want to present myself in an unprofessional light. It reminds me of those stories of employers looking at Facebook pictures before hiring people. Think before posting, college students!

    I agree--sometimes I think it would be better to be anonymous! ;)

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  4. 2012 was a dark year for me, so yes. I have posted things I later regretted. Now, I post things that I find myself despising me for posting about half a year later... Because I read it, and I think, "WOW. I can't believe I was so immature!" or something along those lines. I'm still learning. I'm also still trying to get to a point in my life where I am mentally stable.

    For her, since she basically represented a news company, she had her back to watch as well. Said confessions are funny, but she had an image - a public image - to hold up and continue to mold to. When you're in the public eye like that, I think that you should be a bit more cautious about what you post. However, my thoughts don't mean that I think she was in the wrong. She simply was a member of the news station who had to help protect the integrity of said news station.

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